Mosaic Cafe: Lebanese Cusine Shisha

by Nan W.

I'd have given Mosaic Cafe 4 stars if I hadn't had a spot of tummy trouble following my meal there. We really liked this place on our visit last month. The decor is very attractive, the banquettes comfy, the food is plated handsomely, and the staff is friendly without being obtrusive.  My vegetarian sampler was excellent. My husband said the kabob was good. I have eaten a lot of local Lebanese, from Bacchus to Taverna, and this place holds its own.  We'll be back.Note: If you blink, you'll miss it. It's in a strip mall near U of Md.

by N S.

We discovered this place accidentally, after deciding we would never, ever, ever go to Prince Cafe again. And now I'm glad we don't have to, as the place is conveniently located in the same shopping center as Prince, just at the other end! But that's not the only good thing about this place. The food, a range of dishes from Indian appetizers like hummus and various wraps to organic pizza, tastes great and doesn't give you food poisoning like Prince's offerings. The service is fast and friendly. Heck, on a Friday night we were treated to a piano player serenading us while we talked! Where else in College Park can you actually get _classy_ entertainment?I only have two gripes about Mosaic: the quality of their hookah seems a little inconsistent, and the restaurant is really drafty. The latter shouldn't be an issue come spring and summer, but they should work on getting their pipes a little cleaner. But really, they're a league above Prince, so if you want hookah in CP, this is your best option.

by tamm r.

the food i had was starting to go off and did not taste fresh at all.  it seemed people came here to smoke and not have a meal.  one of the worst meals i've had in a long time.

by campo a.

Mosaic Cafe: Lebanese -Arabic- Cuisine Shisha (Hookah)I had the chance to dine at Mosaic Cafe and I love it.The service was great.  The food was fresh and tasty....it is great place ...or let say it is the best restaurant around the area.I am sure I will go back again and again....The shisha also great...and clean..I love you Mosaic Cafe...Good job!

by Grant M.

Mosaic Cafe is College Park's newest, best, and only Lebanese restaurant.  I often am of the opinion that the best way to judge a Lebanese place is by its Mezza platters.  I shared the Traditional Mezza ($13.95) with my friend.  It included hommus, mutabol, two falafel, two grape leaves and two spanakopita (with two pieces of very tasty, fresh pita).Initially, we were shocked. I am used to (and still prefer) Mezza platters with very small portions of many different dishes.  However, the savior of this meal was the fact that the portions of hommus and mutabol are very large, so large that we had to get two more pieces of pita just to finish them.On to the food: The hommus was fairly basic but had very subtle undertones that made it particularly good.  While at first I was not a fan of the mutabol, it grew on me and its tangy flavors added a great contrast to the hommus.  The grape leaves were ok but not quite as good as I have had other places.  The falafels were great, but pretty standard.  The spanakopita was very tastey, but fairly greasy.  This lead to the best quote of the day: "I can always go for a greasy spanakopita" (something about that sounds really dirty).The atmosphere is very nice with lots of art and a big screen tv playing Middle Eastern music videos.  A warning: specify tap water when you go if you do not want to be charged for bottled water.  If you just ask for water they will assume you mean bottled.  They have live music many nights and are also a popular place for hookah.Overall, a very good place with a lot of delicious options.  I certainly would recommend it to anyone in College Park looking for a satisfying Lebanese meal.

by Angela C.

Finally, a place in College Park that's not fast food and opened til late.  Forget Prince Cafe and go next door.  Mosaic is much cleaner, has nicer and friendlier service, and better food.  I highly recommend the Kifta Kebab Wrap.  You can shisha while watching middle eastern music videos.  Warning - they do not serve tap water for some reason and will charge you for bottle water!

by Ken L.

This is the best hookah place to go to in College Park! Okay well there's only this place and prince cafe soo..yeah. I mean it's not the best hookah bar I've been to but this place has one of the friendliest group of waiters. There are LCD TVs playing middle eastern music while the overall feel of the place is very warm. The hookah doesn't hit very well but its clean and it tastes like the flavor you order. The food is very good. I recommend the lamb kabob as well as the lamb ribs. Try the hummus if you like, its not the best. Overall this is a very great place for hookah in college park because they treat you well and the hookah is very clean. They are fine to accept big groups without forcing you to get a certain amount of hookahs.

by Alan D.

This place is new, and fairly clean inside.  Personally i'd stick to the vegetarian dishes, there seems to be a trend where middle eastern cuisine overcooks meat.  The hummus is very good, fresh as if homemade as well as the naan.  The shisha is very good, clean, cool and flavorful.  Theres no ashy taste at all, a dirty shisha will have an ashy unclean taste within 30 mins.  Pricing is about average here, we paid 13.95 for jasmine shisha.  There are places in Baltimore that are cheaper but will not taste as good.  Depending if you are a picky smoker that may not matter to you.I had ordered lamb kabob, the meat was dry and charred burnt, again, stick to vegetarian dishes.  Also the door is drafty at the front, if possible sit towards the back.  If i were to comeback, it'd be for the shisha and some light food fare, but not much else.